…and all the stuff in between…

Rain rue: First practice on Friday was fine, but the second practice was delayed by rain. Rain dogged everyone on Saturday as well, and brought qualifying to a halt.

Reversion rule: Since quails couldn’t be finished due to severe thunderstorms rolling in, the starting order reverted to entrant points. Montoya started on the pole with a passel of Penske cars at the sharp end of the grid.

Racing the rain: The race was mainly dry, but the rain-soaked track caused carnage, and more rain threatened in the distance, putting going the full distance in doubt. The race was a timed event due to many cautions colliding with the available TV window. It was a possibility that more rain would shorten the race even further, but the clouds held their contents until the end.

Royal (w)reck: On the last of a gazillion restarts, Simon Pagenaud, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sebastien Bourdais ended up in a melee of flying cars and parts, bringing out yet another yellow that the race would finish under. Everyone walked away unhurt, thankfully.

Rockin’ results: James Hinchcliffe returned to the top of the podium after having a rough 2014. He was joined by Helio Castroneves (2nd) and team mate James Jakes (3rd) in the winner’s circle. Simona de Silvestro, a late addition to this race, finished 4th after not even testing on this track in the preseason like most of the rest of the field. A bit of a shakeup compared to the expected Penske domination. Onward to Long Beach!